Fill in all the features of the words given.

IELTS WRITING TASK 1

Tip¨ In Writing Task 1, it is a good idea to end your answer by summarizing the main information shown
by the diagram. You are not required to explain this information.

1) You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows shares of expenditures for five major categories in the United
States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan in the year 2009.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

Write at least 150 words.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

*Expenditures =
Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with the words
in the box.

by contrast indicates lowest compares

overall whereas except higher

highest however largest among

The bar chart ........... how consumers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and
Japan allocated different shares of total spending to categories such as food, housing, and
transportation in 2009.

We can see that the United States had the ........... housing expenditure share, 26% of total
expenditures in 2009. The United Kingdom and Japan followed, with 24% and 22%,
respectively. Canada had the ........... housing share at 21%. Housing was the ........... expenditure
component in all countries ........... Japan.

..........., Canada had the largest transportation share of all four countries at 20%. The United
States and the United Kingdom had the next-highest transportation shares, 17% and 15%,
respectively. Japan had the lowest, at 10%.

..........., in Japan, consumers spent 23% of their total expenditures on food in 2009. The United
Kingdom had the second-highest share at 20%. Canada, with 15%, and the United States, with
14% had the lowest food expenditure shares among the countries studied.

..........., the data ........... that housing and health care shares of total expenditures were ........... in
the United States than in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan in 2009, ........... Americans
had the lowest clothing share. Canada had the highest clothing and transportation shares, and
Japan had the highest food share, ........... the countries compared.
 2) You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below illustrates the percentage change in the share of international students
among university graduates in different Canadian provinces between 2001 and 2006.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System

Tip¨In Task 1 of the IELTS Writing modules, you may be asked to describe a graph which shows
changes over a period of time. To do this you need to use language expressing change and appropriate
tenses. In the exam, make sure you leave time to edit your written answer. You will lose marks if you
make too many mistakes in grammar and vocabulary.
Model answer: Number the paragraphs so they are in the correct order.

In 2001, this share had a relatively narrow range, from 3% in Ontario to 7.0% in New Brunswick. Nova
Scotia had the second highest proportion at 6.5%. Five years later, the figures for most provinces had
risen, with the exception of Alberta. There, the figures fell by 1% to just over 4%.

The chart shows changes in the share of international students who graduated from universities
in different Canadian provinces over a period of 5 years.

Over this five-year period, changes in the proportion of international graduates have been very
uneven across the provinces of Canada. However, New Brunswick remained the province with
the highest percentage overall.

By 2006, some parts of Canada experienced a considerable increase in their share of

international graduates. Growth in this share was especially strong in the case of New
Brunswick, where the figures rose from 7% to 12%. The largest growth occurred in British
Columbia, where it more than doubled to 11%.

Rewrite the correct order of the paragraph.

 3) You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar graph below gives information about the UK's ageing population in 1985 and
makes predictions for 2035.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Tip¨In Task 1 of the IELTS Writing modules, you may be asked to interpret and describe data presented
in graph form. There are three basic types of graph: pie charts, bar charts and line graphs.

Bar charts are useful for comparing the quantities of different categories. Bar
charts are constructed such that the lengths of the different bars are proportional to
the size of the category they represent. Bar charts usually show the numbers or
percentages on the y-axis and the different categories that are being measured
along the x-axis. Both axes are labeled to show what they refer to. Sometimes each
category along the x-axis can be divided into two further sub-groups, e.g.
1985/2035, so that these sub-groups can be compared.
Model answer: Complete the missing words.

The ______ shows how the size and distribution of the UK's ageing population is likely to
change over a ______ period.

Overall, the proportions are predicted to ______ in all UK countries. In 1985, _____ per cent of
the UK population was over 65, but by ______, this will account for 23 per cent of the total
population.

A closer look at the data reveals that the ageing population is expected to rise more in some parts
of the UK than in other. In 1985, Wales had the ______ percentage of people aged 65 and over,
at 16 per cent. The second _______ group could be found in England and the third in Scotland.
Northern Ireland had lowest proportion, with 12 per cent aged 65 and over.

By 2035, Wales is still going to have by far the greatest percentage of over ______, with _____
likely to reach 26 per cent. However, the biggest increases in this age group, relative to the rest
of the population, are predicted to occur in Northern Ireland and _______. In Northern Ireland,
for example, this figure will increase almost double to 23 per cent.

Write on your own.